black-ish Season 3 Premiere Recap: Epcot and Epiphanies

Hell hath no fury like black-ish‘s Dre Johnson, decked out in Mickey Mouse ears and ready to tell his kids where to go and how to get there.

But that moment happens toward the end of black-ish‘s Season 3 premiere, which was shot on location at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., so let’s back up and look at how the Johnsons get into a brawl at the happiest place on Earth.

The episode begins with Dre explaining that “everybody loves special treatment,” so he’s taking his kids — as well as Bow, Pops and Ruby — on a elite-level visit to Disney, in an attempt to give Junior, Zoey, Jack and Diane the top-notch vacation experience he didn’t have as a child. In that vein, he’s also hired one of the park’s VIP guides, Cody (played by Community‘s Jim Rash), to ease the family’s path on the big day: skipping long lines, procuring special experiences… you get the idea.

Right away, Cody politely informs Bow that her pregnancy precludes her from being able to ride most of the attractions. Bummed, she slinks off to Epcot to join Pops and Ruby, who are having a good time running up Dre’s bill at the bar. (Those Magic Bands are a blessing and a curse, I tell ya.) That leaves Dre and the kids to enjoy Cody services, to which the Johnson siblings quickly become accustomed.

But after hours of the Johnsons getting treated like (and sometimes mistaken for) celebrities — “It’s just a flattering form of racism, son,” Dre tells Junior, who’s psyched that someone thought his dad was NFL player Marshawn Lynch — Cody has to bid them adieu… meaning that they’re thrown back into the masses and waiting (gasp!) as long as 25 minutes in line for a ride. (Side note: As experienced Disney-goers, 25 minutes is nothing.)

Adrift without their plaid-clad way-paver, the kiddos snipe at each other and their dad until he blows up. (Another frequent Disney event.) “You monsters are dead to me!” Dre shouts, striding away for a little peace and quiet. That’s where Bow — who’s had a marvelous time with Pops and Ruby, contrary to what she thought would happen — finds her husband, who laments, “I was just trying to make Disney World extra special.” But as the pair nibble on a giant turkey leg, they see that the long wait in line has given the kids time to realize that they actually really like each other. Everyone makes up, and the episode ends with the Johnsons, talking, laughing and taking in the fireworks over Cinderella’s castle that evening.

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